Two Fundraisers and a Wedding...

This is where we had our ceremony.

Just Married

Well the hope for a two week gap at the most between posts did not apply for the last month. We had two well attended fundraisers since my last post. The Western Golf Day Harbor Shores Golf Club in Benton Harbor and The Big Event at Warwick Hills Country Club. Both events had over 100 players and we have gone well over the $30,000 mark for fundraising in 2011, this is more than the last two years combined! Western Golf day was on September 26th and The big Event was on October 3rd, I got married on October 1st at Crystal Mountain. This schedule was not ideal, but when we planned the wedding in July a year and a half ago I was not in this position and was the Superintendent at Crystal Mountain. It was a very busy week but the wedding went very well thanks to my wife Laura. We got married at the top of the Mountain at Crystal, guests rode the chairlift up for the ceremony and then rode down after. It was a bit chilly but the sun was shining and it was a beautiful fall day. We had our reception at the Resort as well and it really was a day to remember.

Whispering Pines is a hidden gem, owned and operated
by Ron Weingartz and his family.

The Equipment Techs gathered in the Golf Maintenance shop
at Crystal Mountain. Thank you to Chad Corp Golf Course
Superintendent for letting us host this event again.

The MiGCSA has had two other events since my last post as well, the Assistants Golf Outing and the Equipment Technicians Education event. The Assistants committee really does some great work and had a really good educational and networking event set up at Whispering Pines in Picnkey. This event was free to new members if they signed up for an MiGCSA membership and only $25 for current members. Representatives from John Deere spoke about their equipment and the leasing vs. buying options when it come to equipment. Then lunch and an 18 hole scramble, followed by prizes for 1st place and a long drive and closest to the pin. A great event but we only had 14 people attend. For someone who has an assistant there is no better way to get them involved and to bring value to your facility than by having them attend one of these Assistant events. I hope more Superintendents start to see the value in having their Assistants attend these events.

The Equipment Technician event was well attended by over 20 members. This event is free for all current members of the MiGCSA and the education was put together by Dave Ertl, Equipment Technician at Traverse City Golf and Country Club. I really like this event because it always leads to lively conversation between the attendees and the speakers. I wish there was this much interaction at Superintendent events.

As we head into the Fall the board and I are busy preparing for the 2012 season, we already have over 75% of the schedule done for next year. Planning is in the works for a very special gathering in Las Vegas  for MiGCSA members and their guests, stay tuned to migcsa.org and email updates fro info@migcsa.org for more details.